What is the natural course of my condition if it is not surgically addressed?

What would you recommend if I was your friend, wife, sister, or daughter?

How long will the surgery take?

What are the side effects, potential risks, and potential complications?

Please explain the risks and how they relate to me personally.For example, different risk factors like smoking, being overweight or having grade 3 spondylolisthesis, etc, will affect surgical outcomes.

Questions about the surgeon

How many times have you done this procedure?Generally, when it comes to surgery, "practice makes perfect," so more experience is better. However, if the doctor is recommending something that is not often done, such as multi-level fusions, more experience would not necessarily be better.

Are you board eligible or board certified?You can usually look on the wall and see a certificate.

Are you fellowship trained in spine surgery?This is more important if the surgery is a fusion, artificial disc replacement, or other more extensive procedure.

If I want to get a second opinion, who would you recommend?The recommendation should be someone not in the same practice.

Statistically, what is the success rate for this type of surgery? What is your personal success rate, and how many of this type of surgery have you done?

Can I talk to other patients who have had a similar procedure?The patient will have to sign a HIPAA release form, but typically, happy patients want to share their success stories.

Any defensiveness on the part of the surgeon when you ask these types of questions may be a red flag. A surgeon with good results and appropriate qualifications will not be threatened by these types of questions and will respect your attention to these matters.

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